New Delhi: Stressing the importance of the family, RSS supremo Mohan Bhagwat on Sunday said that if the population growth rate of a society goes below 2.1, then that “society will perish by itself”. Speaking at a gathering in Nagpur, Mr Bhagwat said that the “kutumb” (family) is part of the society and every family is a unit. He stated that population stability was essential for the very survival of a society.
Mr Bhagwat said: “Decreasing population is a matter of concern because the Loksankhya Shastra (population science) says that if we go below 2.1, then that society perishes, and no one will destroy it, it will perish by itself.”
“The population policy of our country, which was decided around 1998 or 2002, says that the population growth rate should not be below 2.1. We need more than two, that is three (as population growth rate), that’s what the population science says. This number is important because it (society) should survive,” the RSS chief said.
Urging people to rise above caste and religion, Mr Bhagwat noted that unlike some other cultures where individualism is given primacy. “Bharatiya sanskriti (culture) believes everyone is inter-connected.
“If anybody is hungry, we come forward and feed them. Even if a beggar comes to our doorstep, we hand over money or foodgrains through the child in our family. In this manner, we pass on values from one generation to another. Sacrifice is our mainstay, not selfishness and self-centredness,” the RSS chief said.
In October, during the RSS’ annual Dussehra event, Mr Bhagwat had said that the country needs a well-thought-out population policy that is equally applicable on all communities.
